Rio Ferdinand has given his backing to Erik ten Hag as the Ajax boss continues to be linked with Manchester United.
Speculation continues to grow over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future at Old Trafford, with the United boss coming under increasing pressure amid a poor run of results.
The latest reports have suggested that the club have narrowed down a shortlist to two candidates to replace Solskjaer, with Brendan Rodgers and Mauricio Pochettino being heavily linked.
Ten Hag is another name that has been suggested elsewhere, with the 51-year-old having caught the eye after re-establishing Ajax as a force in Europe over the years.
The Dutchman would come highly regarded by plenty in the game, including United legend Ferdinand, who believes Ten Hag has all the right attributes to become the club’s new boss.
“For any manager coming into a new club, it’s almost like you’ve got to show people why you’re there immediately,” Ferdinand told the FIVE YouTube channel.
“I use Antonio Conte as a good reference point for that.
“Whenever he joins a new club, there are no negotiables and he tells them, ‘this is what’s happening, this is what I am, if you’re not with me you can go.’
“I think that’s the type of attitude and the type of mentality that separates the good managers from the top managers.
“You’ve got to be able to go in there and command a whole dressing room full of egos, personality, characters. That’s the job of anyone coming in.
“Now I don’t know Ten Hag personally but he’s doing a fantastic job at Ajax. Let’s remember that Ajax isn’t a small club.
“They’re a massive club, the biggest club in Holland.
“Yes, it’s different and the landscape is different but it’s still a huge club that he’s got to work with and the expectation levels there every day are to win.
“That’s something that will be there every day and would be there if he was to come to Manchester United.
“Anyone who comes in, they’ve got to be able to deal with people. That’s the art of a fantastic manager.
“You’ve obviously got to get it right tactically but motivating people on a daily basis to produce the goods is a huge part of it.”
Ferdinand’s comments come after the defender called for Solskjaer to ‘hand over the baton’, breaking from the stance taken by some of their other former team-mates.
"I look at our team every week wondering what are we going to do tactically? I don’t see any philosophy or identity in the Manchester United way of playing whatever that should be from the management. I sit here looking confused at the team.
"I was always deep down a bit sceptical, could he [Solskjaer] take us on to be champions? I wasn’t fully convinced – I wasn’t sure he could do that.
"The showing with the squad that he [Solskjaer] accumulated, to the beginning of this season – and what I’ve seen this season – I just feel it might be about the time now for the baton to be handed over to somebody else who can take us on now."
"I think Ole would leave now with his head held high because from when he came into where he got us at the beginning of the season I think it’s been positive."
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